Aftermath
by bcsm
Summary: Post: For Better or For Worse - My take on how episode 7X01 could go. On a personal note, believe it or not, I actually got married in the Hampton's for real and so I loved the idea of Caskett doing the same. But alas, it was not meant to be. I only hope that when we do see their wedding, it honors their incredible love story! I own nothing connected to Castle.
1. Chapter 1

Beckett dropped to her knees in front of the burning car, the heat from the fire practically burning her skin. The words "No" and "Why" escaped her lips in-between the powerful sobs that racked her body. Shortly there after Martha and Alexis arrived, Alexis's screams piercing the air as she clung to Martha who was definitely in shock. As tears ran down her cheeks, she could be heard muttering over and over again,

"Not my Richard, please not my Richard."

Ryan, Esposito, Lanie and Jim Beckett also arrived, all visibly upset, but trying to provide whatever comfort they could. It was a long time before Beckett's dad was finally able to convince Beckett that it was time to leave the side of the road. He pulled her to her feet, guided her to a car and drove her back to the beach house.

After, crying, hugging, mourning with Martha and Alexis for hours, Beckett finally excused herself, saying she needed to lie down and spend a little time by herself. She went upstairs to their bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she glanced around the room. Castle's closet door happened to be open and hanging on a hook on the inside of the door was Castle's robe. She walked over to the closet and took the robe off the hook, then carried it over to the bed. She crawled up on to the bed, still wearing her mother's wedding dress and buried her face in his robe, inhaling his scent. She wrapped the arms of the robe around her. The tears began again.

The night passed with Beckett nodding in and out of fitful, restless sleep. Each time she woke, the realization that this was not a nightmare, but in fact reality, hit her like a ton of bricks. Castle was gone. At some point she became aware of the light that streamed into the bedroom, signaling that the night was over. Just as she started to cry again at the thought of spending the day, week, month, forever without him, there was a knock at the door.

"Kate, can I come in?" she heard Lanie ask.

"Lanie," she replied between sobs, "I don't really feel like company at the moment."

"I know you don't Sweetie," Lanie respond, "But listen, I just talked to Javi and you really need to hear what he has to say."

Beckett sat up a little, despite her grief, she couldn't help but be curious,

"Alright…..come in." she replied.

Lanie entered the room and walked over to the bed, giving Beckett a hug. Beckett hugged her back, grabbed a tissue and asked with a sniffle,

"So… what's going on?"

"Javi and Ryan have been going over the accident scene and have found out something that you need to know." Lanie replied. "Here…let me get him on my phone for you." she handed the phone to Beckett.

"Espo it's Beckett," she said when he answered, "Lanie said you….found something?"

"Kate hi, how are you doing?" Esposito asked with concern in his voice.

"Terrible." said Beckett, then added "So… what is it you need to tell me?"

"Well Ryan and I decided to look into the accident a little. We wanted to see if we could find anyone who witnessed the crash. We walked up the road in the direction Castle was driving from looking for houses that were close to the road where someone might have seen something. There aren't many houses close to the crash scene and we weren't having any luck with the few houses that were just up the road, but about a quarter of a mile up the road we came across an older woman sitting on her front porch. We told her we were investigating the crash of a silver Mercedes yesterday and asked her, if by any chance, she had seen anything involving a car of that description. She actually said that yes, in fact she had noticed something yesterday involving a silver Mercedes. She told us that she was at her kitchen sink when she heard the sound of cars approaching, driving much faster then the local speed limit. She looked out her kitchen window and saw a black SUV with tinted windows tailgating a Mercedes and it seemed to her like the Mercedes was trying to get away from the SUV. Then, just before the cars rounded the bend and were out of her sight, the SUV pulled parallel with the Mercedes driving on the wrong side of the road."

Beckett listened to everything Esposito had to say, shock and anger replacing grief for the moment.

"Are you saying someone purposely ran Castle off the road, that… that it wasn't simply an accident?" Beckett half screamed into the phone.

"I don't know anything for sure," Esposito responded, "But something certainly doesn't smell right!"

"I'm coming down there right now" Beckett quickly replied, as she got off the bed.

"Wait... are you sure you feel up that?" Esposito questioned, "Ryan and I will fill in the local authorities and of course continue to investigate ourselves. You really should take a little more time Kate."

"How long have you known me Espo?" Kate asked, "Do you honestly think I will be able to just sit here when it seems….." her voice trailed off for a second and tears welled up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and continued, "….when it seems Castle….. could have been murdered."

"Okay then.… if you're sure." said Esposito then added "We will meet you at the crash scene."

Beckett arrived at the scene about forty-five minutes later. What was left of Castle's car had been removed the day before and taken in as part of the crash investigation. Standing there looking down at the tire tracks and charred shrubbery from the fire, Beckett felt a wave of nausea pass through her. How was it even possible that this was happening, she thought. It was so incredibly unfair. This was not how the fairytale was supposed to end. She choked back a few tears as Ryan and Esposito approached her. They each gave her a hug and then Ryan asked,

"Are you alright?"

"No." said Beckett, "But I want some answers."

"Well in that case, we actually just heard something else you should know." Ryan replied.

"What is it?" Beckett asked.

"We just finished talking to the fire department investigator and it seems that the fire was so intense that there wasn't any trace of human remains found left in the car."

Kate's heart started beating faster.

"So there is no evidence that Castle was in the car!?" She blurted out.

"No evidence," Ryan replied, "But…. before you jump to any conclusions, he also told us that he has seen situations like this before, where a car fire, fueled by gasoline, was so intense that it literally incinerated every part of the human body that was in the car."

Beckett brought her hands up to her head and rubbed her temples. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to digest everything the boys had told her. A black SUV harassing Castle on the road, no evidence of a body in the wreckage. Her detective mind was racing. She lowered her hands and turned towards Ryan and Esposito,

"Okay...Okay, You know what...I think... I would like to look around a little myself." she told them, paused for a second then added, "and guys… thank you for looking into everything. I really appreciate it."

"Of course" said Ryan.

"You know we always have your back." Esposito added

"I do know that." Becket replied. "Thank you."

She turned back towards the crash site and decided to climb down the embankment towards where the car had come to a stop. Once down there she turned and looked back up at the road. There were bushes and weeds all along the embankment as well as some litter. A few water bottles and soda cans that had likely been tossed out of passing cars as well as a container that looked like it once held a fast food burger. Apparently even the ritzy Hamptons had litterers. She let her eyes travel to the left of where the car had driven off the road, the opposite direction from which it was traveling. She started walking towards a thicket of dense brush that was close to the road about thirty yards from the crash. Something in the brush caught her eye, something bright white that stood out in the green and brown of the brush. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to look more closely at what she assumed was another piece of litter. She approached the brush and saw that the white object she had observed was in fact a piece of paper, that looked like it hadn't been there long. She bent down to pick it up and as her eyes focused on the paper she let out an audible gasp, her whole body started trembling. The paper she was now holding in her hand, was her and Castle's marriage license.

"Oh my god, Oh my God, Oh my God!" She repeated over and over again, as tears stained her cheeks again.

Ryan and Esposito heard her and ran down the embankment.

"What is it?" Esposito asked

"It's our marriage license!" she yelled in disbelief, her hand shaking as she held it. "It's our Marriage license." she repeated. She looked up at the boys through her tears and continued,

"When Castle called me from the car yesterday, he said that he had our marriage license in his pocket. If...if it is here now...it means he probably wasn't in the car when it went up in flames." She paused for a moment, her mind racing again.

"He left this as a clue, he must have... he must have." she pleaded. "If he was in the car the entire time, there is no way the license could have gotten from inside Castle's pocket to this bush thirty yards away from the crash. It would be impossible. Castle must not have been in that car when it was engulfed in flames." She took a beep breath and tried to calm herself "Okay….Okay.…so what happened then?"

"Well...let's think about this." said Esposito "We know there was no evidence of a body in the car and we also know someone in a black SUV was harassing Castle on the road."

"Yes… so whoever was in the SUV must have, at the very least, forced Castle to stop his car." Beckett continued "Then what….they took him, kidnapped him and crashed the car to make it seem like a fatal accident?"

The three of them looked at each other.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this but, that actually sounds somewhat plausible." said Ryan, with a little shock in his voice.

"It does…doesn't it?" Beckett quickly responded. "Castle left our marriage license for someone to find….. I know he did. He must have been alive when the car crashed. He must have been. So…. who was in that SUV? Who the hell would take him?" She paused for a second, another realization suddenly hitting her,

"Oh my god…. maybe there is actually a chance.. he will come back to me." She added, as she looked over at Ryan and Esposito, then asked, "It's possible… right?"

Esposito and Ryan glanced at each other for a moment and then Esposito said,

"Well, we obviously have a lot of work to do, but yea... I would say it's a hell of a lot more possible now then it was a few hours ago." Then added "Listen, Ryan and I should go fill in the local authorities. Are you alright if we leave you for a bit?"

"Yea fine." Beckett replied, "Go…. Go we need all the help we can get."

The boys turned and started up the embankment to the road. Beckett stared down at their marriage license again. She could get Castle back - it could actually happen, she thought. An intense look of steely determination slowly crept across her face, then under her breath she uttered,

"Hang on Babe ….hang on. I will find you….I will."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Castle slowly started to regain consciousness. His eyes fluttered a few times before he finally managed to force them open. His mind felt cloudy and his head was pounding. He reached up with his left hand, which at the moment seemed to be the only hand he could move, and felt the side of his head where a large contusion protruded from his skull.

"Ouch." he moaned.

He tried to lift his right hand again and realized that the reason he couldn't, was because it was handcuffed to what looked like a furnace.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked in a groggy voice, as he looked around.

It was fairly dark in the room in which he was being held, the only light coming from a small window near the ceiling. He seemed to be in some sort of basement. There was the furnace that he was handcuffed to and a hot water heater on one side of the room and other than that, and some cobwebs, the only other thing in the room were a few cardboard boxes that lined one of the walls.

After his eyes scanned the room, Castle glanced down at himself and registered the fact that he was wearing a tuxedo. He closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to make some sort of sense out of what he had observed: his head injury, the handcuffs, the basement, the tuxedo?

"Think…..think." He muttered to himself, trying not to panic. His mind was drawing a blank when it came to anything surrounding his immediate situation, He tried to clear his head and after a minute or two a memory started to form. This all seems a little like déjà vu, he thought. Why is that, he wondered? He tried to focus and slowly the memory became clear. This wasn't the first time he had woken up handcuffed and confused in a basement. It had happened before...only instead of being handcuffed to a furnace, he had been handcuffed to another person..….to Beckett.

"Beckett…Kate." he practically screamed, as more memories flooded into his brain. He looked down at his tuxedo again and then in a flash everything came back to him.

"Oh my god, I was on my way to our wedding…..and there was that SUV…. that ran me off the road." Castle exclaimed. "My car went down that embankment, but I was okay…I think. I got out of my car a little dazed and then someone grabbed me and punched me….. punched me a few times." He reached up and touched his cheekbone, which, along with the side of his head, was also very painful. He winced a little, but continued going over what had happened out loud, making sure he had all the facts in order.

"Then I saw the gun," he said "but I couldn't see the guys face…. it was covered. He held the gun to the back of my head and forced me to walk up the embankment towards the SUV. He handcuffed me to the door handle of the SUV and then got out a container of gasoline from the back. He ran back down to my car and poured the gasoline all over the inside and outside of the car." Castle paused for a second and lowered his voice to a whisper, suddenly aware of the fact that whoever was holding him hostage might be near by, and then he continued,

"When the guy was distracted with the gas, I took our marriage license out of my pocket and threw it into that bush…" I don't think he saw me do that, he thought to himself. then said, "He set my car on fire and ran back up to the SUV. I pleaded with him to let me go and he hit me on the side of the head with his gun…. I think I tried to punch him with my free hand and then he must have hit me again with the gun….. because… that is the last thing I remember."

Castle stopped whispering and glanced around the basement again, the immense gravity of his situation completely sinking in. Someone had kidnapped him and staged his death. Immediately his thoughts turned towards Beckett, Alexis and his Mother. Tears welled up in his eyes. It was far too painful to imagine what they were going through right now. He had told Kate he was 20 minutes away. What she must have felt when he didn't show up, and then to hear about the crash - thinking that she lost him forever. He started shaking his head. Alexis, his baby, thinking that her father had been killed in a deadly car crash. And then there was his Mother, what could be worse than horror of losing a child. A tear slowly made its way down his very sore cheek, and then others followed. He couldn't stand thinking about the pain they must be in and for a moment, he felt like he might vomit.

He took a slow, deep breath and tried to focus on the fact that he wasn't actually dead. He was alive and whoever took him, could easily have killed him by now, if that is what they wanted to do. He took another deep breath and thought to himself, please…. please let someone find the marriage license….. let someone find it, and show it to Kate. If she sees it, she will know what it means. She will know that I left it and that I wasn't in that car when it went up in flames. She will know I'm in trouble and she won't stop until she finds me. That marriage license he thought, which had been so much harder to obtain, then he ever would have anticipated, was at the moment, the key to easing his loved ones pain and possibly getting him out of here.

He closed his eyes for a few moments gathering himself and then thought, I can't just sit here though….I can't just sit here hoping and waiting for a rescue. I have to try to find a way out of here myself. With that thought came a look of determination on Castle's face, as he turned his attention towards the handcuffs and the furnace.

_Thanks for reading chapter 2_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Beckett looked once more at her marriage license. She ran her finger over Castle's name, then folded it up and put it in her pocket. She took out her phone, time to update Martha and Alexis, she thought.

"Katherine," Martha answered, when she heard her phone ring and saw it was Beckett, "Aren't you upstairs?" she asked, her voice sounding weak and weary, "I was actually just wondering if you wanted anything to eat? It has been twenty-four hours since any of us ate anything... and I know you likely don't have an appetite... I certainly don't, but.…." her voice trailed off and Beckett could tell her emotions, had once again, gotten the better of her.

"Martha… are you alright?" Beckett asked tenderly, knowing that of course she wasn't. What do can say to a woman who thinks she has just lost her son. Martha had stated, more than once, the night before, that a parent should never have to outlive their child.

"Martha," Beckett repeated when she didn't answer, "is Alexis with you right now?"

"I'm sorry." Martha finally replied, "Alexis...yes...she is sitting right next to me. We have been taking turns breaking down and comforting each other all morning." she said with a sniffle, then paused for a second and added, "Darling... you know.…. you really shouldn't be alone for long stretches of time. Come downstairs and be with us."

"Martha Listen, I'm actually not calling from the house." Beckett stated "In fact… I have had quite an eventful morning, and what I need you to do right now, is to put your phone on speaker and make sure Alexis can hear it…..I have some very important news to tell you both.

"Oh my." Martha replied in a surprised tone, as she pressed speaker on her phone, "alright…..go ahead, we are both listening."

Beckett proceeded to explain everything she had learned that morning, the black SUV that was harassing Castle, the fact that there was no evidence of a body in the wreckage and of course the presence of their marriage license and what she suspected it meant. Alexis and Martha's reactions and emotions mirrored those that Beckett had experienced. First the shock and anger, that it seemed someone had purposely set out to hurt Castle, and then the hope that there was actually a possibility that Castle was still alive….that he could come back to them. Beckett assured them that she would keep them in the loop and asked them to call her right away, if they could think of anyone from Castle's past who could possibly want to cause him any harm.

As she pressed end on her phone, Ryan and Esposito returned from updating the local authorities.

"Well.…they are not completely convinced, but they are now going to treat this area as a possible crime scene. They called in their CSU investigator and are looking into the kidnapping angle." Ryan reported.

"Yea….well, I am not holding my breath when it comes to the police out here." Beckett replied, remembering how inexperienced they were last year, when that man died in Castle's pool.

"I think, for the most part, we will have to take matters into our own hands and my guess is that they will be grateful for the assistance." she stated.

"Okay good... so what are you thinking?" asked Esposito

"Let's canvass this area... one more time, to make sure there are no more witnesses or evidence we might have missed, then…. I think we should head back to the city. I want to have access to all the resources which are available to us at the precinct." Beckett replied.

Esposito and Ryan both agreed and then Ryan took a step closer to Beckett, put his hand on her shoulder and asked in a concerned voice,

"So….how are you feeling.… and are you sure you are up for all this?"

"You know….." Beckett answered, "…The truth is that I have only felt grief and sorrow that matched the intensity of yesterday, one other time in my life. The difference is that then…..there was absolutely no chance that my Mom was coming back... That's not the case now…there is actually a chance Castle could still be alive… and so I have to push all the sadness and worry to the back of my mind and concentrate all my energies on finding him. Honestly….I still feel like crap, but I guess I am holding up the best I can… under the circumstances." She paused for a moment then added, "I have to….for him."

Ryan smiled at her and said,

"You know Beckett…. you are without a doubt, one of the strongest people I have ever known."

"I'll second that." Esposito agreed, while nodding his head. Beckett gave them a small smile and a thank you and then they all turned their focus back to the very large task at hand.

Esposito and Ryan went to see if they could find any more witnesses, while Beckett scanned the road looking for anything else that might be evidence. She walked over to the brush where she found the marriage license, except this time she was looking at it from the road, instead of from down the embankment. She glanced down at the pavement. It was possible, she thought, that castle was standing somewhere near here when, he left the license. She got down on her hands and knees and looked very carefully at the area. After a few minutes of searching, two smudges of something, that looked like it could possibly be dried blood, caught her eye. When the local CSU investigator arrived, she told him what she had found he confirmed the presence of blood with a UV light. He proceeded to collect the blood and promised Beckett that he would put a rush on it and call her with the results as soon as possible. So, Beckett thought, if this turns out to be Castle's blood, that would be further proof that he wasn't in the car when it went up in flames. Of course, it would also mean that, at the very least, he had an injury of some sort. Tears started to form in her eyes as she thought of the possibilities, but she quickly stopped herself from getting too emotional. Stay focused, she told herself, you have to stay focused. She took a deep breath and went to look for the boys.

Esposito and Ryan had struck out when it came to finding any more witnesses and after an additional hour of looking for more evidence, to no avail, they all felt like it was time to head back to the city.

Once at the precinct, Esposito and Ryan put what little evidence they had, up on the white board, then Esposito turned towards Kate, who was leaning against her desk and asked,

"So Beckett… it must have crossed your mind... that this could be the handiwork of 3XK or that psycho, plastic surgeon girlfriend of his? I mean… wasn't that song that she left for you guys… sort of a promise that she and Tyson…weren't finished with you and Castle?

"Yea…. of course I thought of them. They were actually the first people that came to mind." Beckett answered, "But you know what…. the truth is this whole scenario really isn't their M.O. when it comes to their past interactions with Castle and I…..When Tyson set up Castle last year….he spent months spying on us, establishing a romantic relationship with the woman he murdered and meticulously, plotting and planning every little detail. He even revealed to Castle… that he got off on the whole process of planning and anticipating a murder. I mean…. my god…. just look at how much planning went in to our most recent encounter with him and Dr. Nieman...changing peoples appearance to look like you and Lanie….giving them voice lessons, ext.? A plan like that takes months and months to be executed as precisely as it was. Castle and I were supposed to get married in the city. The last minute change of venue and Castle having to pick up our marriage license and drive it out to the Hampton's at the eleventh hour…. was all very... spur of the moment…. I don't know," Beckett concluded, "The way the crash and kidnapping went down, it just doesn't feel to me, like something orchestrated by Jerry Tyson or Nieman.

"Okay, I can see that... but what if they were the ones... responsible for the change of venue." Esposito interjected." Beckett's eyes widened a bit, as she stared back at Esposito, She then said,

"Wow… I actually hadn't thought of that." Beckett paused for a moment before continuing, "Alright….you know what, let's get in touch with our original wedding venue. We should find out everything we can about the circumstances that forced them to cancel our wedding." She added.

"I'm on it." Ryan responded, as walked over to his desk

"Thanks," Beckett said and then added, "My gut still says it's not Tyson or Nieman, but they certainly have surprised me... many times before.

Ten minutes later, Ryan walked back to Beckett's desk,

"Well… I don't think Tyson or Nieman was responsible for your venue having to cancel your wedding." Ryan stated.

"What did you find out?" Beckett asked.

"So…." said Ryan, "The night that the damage occurred at the venue, they were having a circus themed, sweet sixteen party for a girl, who just so happens to be the daughter of the man who owns the venue. Furthermore… the fire damage was due to a novice fire breather who was apparently a little overzealous in their fire breathing… and get this… that rookie fire breather... was the venue owner's nephew. The whole situation was literally a family affair….I don't see how Tyson or Neiman could have orchestrated it."

"Okay thanks….." Beckett replied, then added, "So….while I would never rule them out completely, I think that unless something new comes up, for now... I would like to focus on who else, besides Tyson or Nieman, could have kidnapped Castle. I left a message for Castle's agent, Paula and his PR person to see if he has gotten any unusual fan mail recently. I'm also having all of the case files, that Castle and I have worked on together, brought up. I think we should go through them and check to see if anyone we arrested was recently released from prison, things of that nature. Maybe something will jump out at us."

"Sounds like a plan" Esposito replied, as Ryan nodded his head in agreement.

Five minutes later the case files arrived and they got to work. After a few hours of continuous examination of the files, Beckett stood up to stretch, her back and neck aching from sitting in one position for too long. She glanced at her phone, it was a little after 11:00pm.

"Hey guys," she called over to Ryan and Esposito, "You two should call it a night…go home and get some rest."

"Nah… we're good." Esposito replied.

"Yea… we're not going to leave you." Ryan agreed

"Listen guys, I appreciate that," Beckett said, "but you both have been at it since the wee hours of the morning. I think that I might be a lost cause, when it comes to sleep, but, I need you guys fresh, so please… go get some shut-eye. We can pick it up first thing tomorrow….really."

"You know….you really need some rest as well." said Esposito, "You are not going to be able to keep up this pace... without it." He added

"Maybe… I will head back to my apartment for a few hours." She replied, then paused for a moment, "I'm not sure I can handle the loft right now." She added.

"Just as long as you find somewhere to lie down." implored Ryan

"I will." she said. They both gave her an, I don't believe you, look.

"I promise," Beckett assured them, "Now you guys go….get out of here. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, as you wish." said Esposito.

"We'll be back first thing." Ryan added, as they got up and headed for the elevator.

Beckett gave them a nod, then looked down at the massive pile of case files on her desk. She suddenly felt very drained. The boys were right, she thought. She would need some rest if she was going to be a her best, and the fact of the matter was, she had to be at her absolute best, there was way too much at stake. She moved her gaze to the left and her eyes landed on Castle's chair. Without really thinking, she walked over to it and sat down.

For most of the day Beckett had been very successful at shutting down her emotions, but they were there, hovering just beneath the surface and sitting in Castle's chair released a few of them. Her eyes started to fill with tears, one or two of them, slowly made their way down her cheek. It just wasn't fair, She thought. She was supposed to be spending tonight on a beautiful, privet Maldives island with her husband. Instead, here she was, at the 12th, desperately trying to save him. She shook her head in disbelief, as a few more tears stained her cheeks. He had told her, only days before, that all fairy tales had terrible trials that the worthy had to transcend in order to get the happy ending. There was no doubt in her mind that they were worthy and she and castle had already gone through a multitude of terrible trials since they met. Wasn't that enough, she thought. They didn't deserve what they were going through right now, of this she was sure. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself. She knew that getting emotional was not going to help them get their happily ever after.

She stood up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. There was a part of her that really wanted to stay and continue going thought the files, but she knew that she needed to rest her mind and body for a bit. She picked up her bag, then kissed her hand and touched it to the back of Castle's chair. She held it there for a moment, and whispered,

"I love you." Then she turned and headed for the elevator.

_(Curious about who took Castle? It will be revealed in the next chapter - As always, reviews are very welcome!)_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Castle examined the furnace. He was cuffed to a pipe that was attached to one side of it. If he grabbed the pipe, he thought, and forcefully shook it, maybe he could dislodge it from the furnace and slide the handcuff off. He wrapped both of his hands around the pipe and shook it, as hard as he could for about thirty seconds, then stopped to rest for a moment. His head injury made him feel light-headed and the physical exertion, along with his worsening dehydration, didn't help. He was about to give it another shot, when he heard,

"Stop….don't you break my furnace…. I'm going to need that next winter." The voice totally startled Castle and he quickly turned his head towards the corner of the room, where it seemed to be coming from and yelled,

"Hey….who are you…what do you want with me!?"

"Oh…. don't you worry," said the voice "You will soon find out." It was dark in the corner, and castle could barely make out an open door, but couldn't see the person speaking.

"Please….please just tell me what you want." begged Castle. "Is it money you're after?" He asked.

"Money...no...this isn't about money. No… this is about something else." the voice replied.

"What is it about!" yelled castle, "Please just tell me….tell me why have you done this… and maybe we can work something out." he pleaded.

"There really isn't anything to work out," said the voice, "Now be a good boy…and leave my furnace alone." he added, and then Castle heard the door to the basement slam shut.

"Hey… Hey…" He yelled at the closed door, "If your plan is to keep me alive…. I could really use some water." He didn't hear anything in return.

"Did you hear me!? I need some water and a bathroom." Castle yelled again. There was no response.

Castle's heart was beating rapidly. He tried to calm himself down with a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure how to process the conversation he had just had, but he knew that it certainly didn't bode well for his future well being. He had hoped his kidnapper was after some sort of ransom, but that didn't seem to be the case. He replayed the exchange in his head. That voice, he thought, it was somehow familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. Also, it seemed to him like the person who was driving the SUV, though they hadn't said much, had a different voice then the one he had just heard. That would mean he is dealing with more than one person here. He tried to think. The voice he had just listened to was fairly unique and he knew that he had heard it before, but where? He spent the next few minutes searching his mind, trying desperately to match the voice to a specific memory. Unfortunately, he was coming up empty, so he decided to turn his attention back towards figuring out a way to escape.

He looked at the furnace. If he attempted to remove the pipe again, he thought, the guy would obviously hear him and he would not be happy. Castle felt that pissing this person off at this juncture wouldn't do him any good, so in the name of self-preservation, he decided to leave the pipe alone. What else could he do? He looked around. Maybe, if he could find something small enough to fit into handcuff lock, he could try to pick it. He knew it was a long shot, but he had had some success picking locks before, so maybe he would get lucky. He looked on the floor around him, hopping to find a nail or paperclip. There was absolutely nothing on the floor. He looked at the furnace again. If he could find a loose screw on the furnace he could try to pick the lock with that. He examined each screw that he could reach. None of them felt the least bit loose and he came to the conclusion that without a screwdriver, they were all staying put. Unfortunately, it was looking like lock picking was not going to be an option. What else could he try, he thought, as he urgently scanned the room. He couldn't think of anything and it was becoming increasingly apparent to him, that he had very little chance of escaping on his own. His head was still pounding and he desperately needed some water. He sat down, rested his head in his free hand and closed his eyes.

About five minutes later he heard the basement door open again. A figure walked towards him with a bucket and a bottle of water. He tossed them both at Castle and said,

"Here….Your bathroom and your water."

Castle stared at the figure.

"You are not the person I was just speaking with, are you?" asked Castle, "but… I think you just might be the one responsible for this bump on my head? he added.

"So what." said the guy, who looked to be in his thirties with dark brown, greasy hair and a nasty scar on his chin.

"So please… just tell me what you guys want with me….I'm begging you." Castle replied.

"Listen man, it's not my place to tell you anything. This here…it's just a job for me, the person you spoke to before… he's the boss." said the guy.

"Okay… so if this is just a job for you, I can pay you…..I can pay you more than he is….much more if you help me. Please… just help me get out of here." Castle begged.

"Sorry, no can do….not worth the risk." he replied, as he turned and walked towards the door.

"Who are you working for?" Castle yelled after him, then added "Tell him I want to speak to him….tell him I want to speak to him!"

The door slammed shut again. Castle kept yelling at the top of his lungs,

"Someone tell me what's going on. Why am I here? What do you want with me? Do you hear me? What do you want with me? Come back in here? Do you hear me?" He figured that if he continued to yell, maybe someone would come back and tell him to be quiet and then, just maybe, he would be able get a little more information out of them. After about two minutes of continuous yelling, the basement door finally opened and Castle heard that familiar voice again,

"Hey….Hey….shut up already...Man… you got a set of lungs on you..… I was going to keep you in the dark a bit longer… because honestly, it has been rather amusing watching you trying to piece together who I am….but I guess now is as good a time as any….to reveal my identity." said the voice, still hidden in the doorway.

"Fine, said Castle, his voice horse from yelling, "Show yourself then."

The figure stepped out of the doorway and flipped on a light switch. It took a few seconds for Castle's eyes to adjust to the light, having been held in the dark for so long. He blinked a couple of times and when things slowly came into focus, he found himself staring into a face, he did indeed recognize.

** XXXXXXX**

Beckett returned to the precinct early the next morning. She had managed to get a few hours sleep, but was anxious to get back to work. She picked up right where she had left off the night before, going over the cases she and Castle had worked on together. Esposito and Ryan arrived shortly after her, and they too, got right back to work. After Beckett had been at it for about an hour, she received a call from the CSU investigator, confirming that the blood she had found yesterday, had indeed been Castle's. Truthfully she wasn't very surprised by the results. Somehow she had known it would turn out to be his blood and she choose to see it as a good sign. The presence of their marriage license and now, conformation of a small amount of his blood, thirty or so yards from the crash, completely convinced her that he was not in his car when it went in flames. She just prayed that the blood came from a minor injury and not something more serious.

By mid morning, between the three of them, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito had gone though all the cases Castle and Beckett had worked on during the first four years he had shadowed her. They hadn't come up with any new leads yet, but they diligently continued, hoping that something would soon surface. Beckett got started on some of last years cases. These were among the first cases she and Castle had worked on as a couple, she thought. She paused for a moment remembering how they had to hide their relationship at first and how they would find little, secret ways of showing each other affection, like those handshakes. She felt a little flutter in her belly, thinking about Castle and those times, but then quickly told herself not to lose focus. She turned her attention back to the files. About ten minutes later, as she was going over the case of the murdered rock band guitarist, where that annoying documentary crew had filmed them, Ryan call out,

"Hey Beckett….I might have found something."

"What is it?" she asked, as she quickly got up and walked over to Ryan's desk.

"It could be nothing but, I'm going over the case of the murdered priest...remember... Father Joel McMurtry?"

"Our adventure in the Bronx with Leo, the bumbling witness, who turned out to be a hired assassin. Of course I remember." Beckett replied then asked "Why has this case caught your eye?"

"Well, Leo has been out of prison for six months now." Ryan respond.

"What…..how is that possible!?" a shocked Beckett asked.

"Yea… that can't be true" Esposito agreed as he turned to face them.

"I don't understand…." Beckett said, "He confessed to me that he killed Father McMurtry, not to mention the fact, that he took me hostage at gunpoint and tried to shoot up an SUV, that he thought was filled with people…..How could he have possibly been released from prison?" She asked.

"It says here that he made a deal with the Feds to serve out the remainder of his life sentence on house arrest." said Ryan. "If you recall, Leo worked for the O'Reilly crime family. He had years of dirt on them and was able to provide the feds with tons of information that helped them solve a multitude of open and even cold cases, surrounding the O'Reillys. In exchange for his cooperation and information the Feds arranged it so that Leo could serve out his life sentence at home, wearing an ankle monitor."

"I can't believe it." Beckett said, "That guy was a sociopath, if every there was one. He is not someone who should have been left, in any way, to his own devises." She paused for a moment then said, "Okay…. you know what….I think this might warrant further looking in to. I would like to talk to the parole officer who monitors his house arrest and see what information he can give us."

"You got it…. I will find out who that is and get you the number." Ryan replied.

"Thanks." Beckett said as Esposito looked over at her and asked,

"Do you really think he has something to do with Castle's kidnapping?"

"I don't know." she answered, "but, I would bet that he blames Castle and I for getting arrested and subsequently convicted. He was very cunning and cold blooded and certainly seemed like the kind of guy who would hold a grudge. It's also likely that he had a lot of experience with all kinds of criminal activity working for the O'Reilly's, possibly including kidnapping. I don't think I wouldn't rule him out, without getting some more information." she added.

Ryan found the contact number for Officer Stanton, who was in charge of Leo's house arrest and gave it to Beckett. She got him on the phone, explained why she was calling and asked if he wouldn't mind answering a few questions about Leo. He said he would, but quickly told Beckett that Leo had been a model house arrest prisoner. There was absolutely no indication that he had been up to anything illegal, never mind kidnapping. He went on to say that in the six months Leo had been on house arrest, his ankle monitor hadn't gone off once. She asked him how often he personally paid Leo a visit and he admitted that in recent months it has been less then it was at the beginning, because Leo had been such a model prisoner. He said the last time he saw Leo was about a week and a half ago. Beckett asked if Leo was still living in the apartment in the Bronx? Officer Stanton told her that no, Leo wasn't living there anymore, but had moved into a large house in Douglaston Queens when he started house arrest. Beckett questioned how someone, who had lived in a dump apartment in a crappy part of the Bronx, could afford a house in the upper/middle class Douglaston? He told her that Leo had a well off elderly aunt, with no children of her own, who had died right before Leo had been arrested. She left him the house and a sizable inheritance. Beckett asked Officer Stanton if he would be willing to make a surprise house visit to Leo today and he said that unless, she came up with some actual evidence that Leo had anything to do with the missing man, he would make his next scheduled visit, which was in about a week. He then told Beckett that he had to go and suggested that she was wasting her time looking into Leo and that she should spend her energies looking elsewhere.

Ryan and Esposito had been watching Beckett during the call. When she put down the phone Ryan asked,

"So…Anything?"

"Well….according to his parole officer, Leo is the model prisoner." Beckett answered, "Honestly though, it sort of sounds to me, like Leo has him fooled, just like he had Castle and I fooled, playing the part of the bumbling witness. And get this….he inherited a large house, where he is currently living, and a sizable amount of money from an aunt….much easier to hold someone hostage in a large house, than in a small apartment." she added.

"Yes… true." Ryan replied then added, "Also…. the money he inherited, would certainly help if you couldn't leave your house, and needed to hire someone to do your dirty work for you."

"Like... run someone off the road, torch his car and kidnap him?" Esposito interjected, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

Beckett looked at Esposito and asked,

"What….do you think I'm totally off base here?"

"I think your desperate to find him, we all are…..but what evidence do we have that this guy is involved." Esposito replied.

"We have no evidence at the moment," said Beckett, "It's just a feeling that I have….I don't know...call it intuition. What I do know, is that I won't be satisfied until I look into it a little bit more." She turned back towards Ryan and asked,

Hey…. do you think you could find Leo's address for me. The parole officer said the house was in Douglaston Queens."

"Sure." said Ryan as he turned his chair back around to face his desk.

"What are you thinking about doing?" Esposito asked Beckett.

"I want to take a drive past Leo's house, maybe observe it for a bit, to see if anyone enters or exits….you know... check to see if anything seems off." she replied.

"Well…. if that's your intention, one of us should come with you." said Esposito.

"No Epso…listen, I am just going to do a little surveillance, nothing more. If I find anything, I will call right away…..I promise. I want you guys to stay here and continue looking for other possible suspects. If this turns out to be a wild goose chase, I don't want more then one of us, wasting precious time, that could've been used to track down other leads." Beckett said.

"Fine." said Esposito, "Do what you need to do….but, call us right away if anything at all comes up."

"Don't worry….I will." Beckett assured him as Ryan turned around and handed her the address, then said,

"Yea…be careful…..you know how dangerous he was the last time you came into contact with him."

"I know...I promise I'm not going to do anything reckless." she replied, then she grabbed her phone and car keys and headed out.

**XXXXXXXX**

Castle's eyes widened a bit and he said,

"I knew I heard your voice before… Leo...right….the fake witness."

So… you do remember me?" Leo asked.

"Of course…..I remember you." said Castle in a defeated voice, "Not many people surprise me, but you certainly did that night in the Bronx." He paused for a moment then asked, "How the hell are you out of prison?"

"Well….I'm semi of out of prison." said Leo holding up his pant leg and revealing his ankle monitor. He gave Castle a creepy grin and continued, "I cut a deal with the feds to serve out my life sentence in my, much nicer then prison….new home."

"So what… now you just pass the time by hiring others, like that guy who was just in here, to kidnap people and fake their deaths." Castle replied.

"Not really…..You are the only one on my to do list…..well….you and your fiancé… that is. The truth is... after I punish you, kidnap the good detective and punish her, then dispose of you both, I plan to live out the remainder of my life in peaceful tranquility."

Castle closed his eyes for a minute. He felt nauseous again. Leo had just revealed that he had plans for Kate as well. He had to figure out some way to convince him that he should leave Kate alone. He thought for a second, then he looked at Leo and said,

"Leo…..listen…you have obviously worked out a really good deal for yourself. I mean…. you were convicted of murdering a priest….yet here you are, on house arrest, instead of in a federal prison. Why...why on earth would you risk that?"

"I would think that would be pretty obvious…. Shakespeare….that is what Micky Dolan called you… right?" Leo asked. He paused for a second, staring at Castle, then continued, "You completely screwed me...It was you who figured out that I wasn't a witness to McMurtry's murder, but his killer. Had you not figured that out...I would have killed Dolan and his boys and then you and your girlfriend as well. After that, I would have disappeared….and believe me...I would have never been caught."

"Okay….. so you want revenge on me, but.…you don't need to bring Beckett into this." Castle pleaded.

"Of course I do….don't you remember….Leo replied, "Your cop girlfriend was the one who tipped you off that something was wrong…you know…when the two of you spoke on the phone. She said something about baseball and your parents….I don't know what the hell she meant...but you obviously did." Leo added.

Wow….you really remember every detail….don't you?" Castle said shaking his head.

"Yep...you bet.…..the two of you are all I thought about during the past year and a half. Your annoying relationship, with all the bickering and the _"__We__'__re from two different worlds - I__'__m just a cop and your a famous writer - what if the bubble bursts? Blah blah blah__"__._ Man….if I only had a gun on me at the time….I would have shot the two of you on the spot and been done with it. I honestly couldn't believe it... when I saw in the newspaper that the two of you were engaged….I thought for sure your relationship was doomed." Leo paused for a moment, then added with a smirk,

"Well anyway….it sure is doomed now. You will never see each other….or anyone else for that matter….ever again."

"Leo…..please….you don't need to do this." Castle begged, "I can make your life more comfortable…..get you anything you want….we can make some kind of deal….please just think about it….the truth is… you have already made us pay. The last two days have been terrible and painful for me." Castle said while touching his head injury, "And Beckett…..well she thinks I died in a fiery crash on the way to our wedding, I promise you…..she is absolutely devastated right now. Please….can we please...work something out?" He paused for a moment knowing that, as the words were tumbling out of his mouth, they were going to have absolutely no impact on Leo.

"What….do you think I'm an idiot?" Leo asked as he stared at Castle.

"No I don't." answered Castle. He paused for a moment and decided to switch gears. "I know you're not an idiot, which is why you must know that if you follow through on your plans to hurt Beckett…. you can be sure you that you will have the entire weight of the NYPD bearing down on you so fast…. it will make your head spin. I'm pretty tight with the NYPD myself. If they figured out I didn't die in that crash, you can bet that they are looking for me right now. Is revenge really worth that risk?" he asked.

"Well….like I always say….life is short. Whatever happens...happens. I am going to spend the rest of my life confined anyway….. if I end up dying…..well.….at least I'll die with the knowledge and satisfaction that I have gotten my revenge." Leo answered.

Castle sighed and hung his head. It was clear that he was dealing with a completely psychotic individual and nothing he could possible say was going to change Leo's mind.

"What's the matter Shakespeare…..You don't feel like talking anymore?" asked Leo sarcastically.

Castle didn't answer.

"Alright then…. I guess we will chat again later…..when I fill you in on my plans for your fiancé." said Leo, as he turned and headed for the door.

"Don't touch her…!" Castle screamed back, "Please… please don't hurt her!" All he heard in return, was the sound of the basement door slamming shut.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Castle yelled in anger and desperation, as his eyes welled up with tears. He felt utterly defeated, not to mention horrified. The situation was even worse than he could have ever imagined. He sat down, feeling very light-headed. He grabbed the water bottle that had been tossed at him earlier and took a few gulps, which he desperately needed. There were only two, remotely positive, things that Castle could latch on to, he thought. The first was that Leo obviously wanted him alive for a while longer, since he had let him have some water. The other thing was that, even though Leo had already devastated Kate emotionally, it seemed that he, or his hired hand that is, hadn't physically hurt her yet. He took a deep breath and another sip of water. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, Kate has been able to figure out that he didn't die in that crash….that in fact he has been taken hostage. He knew, that if that were the case, Kate, Ryan and Esposito would stop at nothing to get him back. If somehow they could figure out who took him, then the possibility existed, that they could find him and stop Leo before he could carry out the rest of his sickening plans.

Castle leaned against the furnace, experiencing a kind of mental and physical exhaustion, unlike any he had ever felt before. He knew that the whole rescue scenario was a long shot, but it offered him a tiny shred of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation and really, that was all he had at the moment. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. With his eyes closed, Castle couldn't see the basement or the handcuffs. With his eyes closed, he could try to imagine that he was somewhere else, anywhere else. He pushed the image of Leo's smug face out of his head and let the images of Beckett, Alexis and his Mother fill up every corner of his mind. Just focus on them, he thought, just focus on them. A lone tear slowly made it's way down his cheek.

_(Authors note: So, I kind of liked the idea that Castle's kidnapper was someone who we, the fans, knew, but not someone we ever expected to see again. Ever since I first saw the episode, __After Hours__, I felt that Leo was an interesting villain, so when I started to think about who from the show, besides 3xk or Bracken, could be behind the kidnapping, he popped into my mind and so I went with it. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading chapter 4. Stay tuned for chapter 5.) _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

As Beckett approached Leo's house she made note of the fact that Douglaston Queens was very close to The Long Island Expressway. The Long Island Expressway was the road most people used when traveling to and from the Hampton's. She made a right on Forest Road and looked for house number 15. Douglaston was unusual in that, the houses were separated and more, spread out then typically was the case in Queens or anywhere in NYC, for that matter. As she approached Leo's house, she saw that it was a big, Victorian style house. Leo's aunt must have been pretty well off, she thought. She continued past his house to the end of the street and then turned around. She pulled her car into a spot across and slightly down the street from Leo's house. She wanted to make sure that there was absolutely no chance of Leo seeing her, should he be looking out a window.

The house was quiet. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She glanced around at the neighboring houses and then something caught her eye. Parked on the street, in front the house that was to the left of Leo's house, was a black SUV with tinted windows. Wow, she thought, that matches the description of the car that was harassing Castle on the road. She felt a little knot developing in the pit of her stomach. She picked up her phone and called Ryan,

"Hey…" she said when he answered, "Could you run a plate for me."

"Sure…. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Maybe nothing… but there is a black SUV with tinted windows parked just down the street from Leo's house, pretty big coincidence... huh. I want to see who it belongs to." she answered.

"Yea of course.…what's the plate number?" he asked.

"NY plate, number V59-47B," she replied.

"Got it….I'll call you back as soon as I get the info," Ryan said.

"Thanks." she said, as she put down her phone.

Beckett focused her attention back on Leo's house. It seemed to her that all of the first floor windows, that she could see, had curtains covering them. She was examining the second floor windows, when suddenly a door on the side of the house opened. A few seconds later a guy stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. That's definitely not Leo, she thought. This guy was taller and broader than Leo. She watched as he walked towards the street, then, as if forgetting something, he turned around and walked back to the side door. Beckett saw him knock on the door a few times. About 10 seconds later it opened and the guy went back inside.

Beckett stared at the closed-door, her mind contemplating who this guy was and what he was doing at Leo's. Her phone rang.

"Hey Ryan, what did you find out?" she asked.

"Well.." said Ryan, "The SUV is registered to a guy named Brian Calhoun….and get this, I ran his name thought the NYPD database and he has a pretty checked past. He has had multiple arrests for minor drug charges and petty thefts and he served two years in prison for aggravated assault and possession of an unregistered hand gun back in 09."

Beckett started to get a very uneasy feeling as she listened to Ryan.

"Can you send me his picture please?" she asked.

"Sure, I'll messenger his most recent mug shot to you." he replied.

The picture came through. Beckett took one look at it and said, "I think I'm going to need you guys to come out here."

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"I just saw this guy come out of Leo's house." She replied.

"Wow…okay…we're on our way." said Ryan, then he added "Don't do anything until we get there."

"Don't worry….I won't go near the house. If there is a chance Castle is in there and Leo catches a glimpse of me, all bets are off. The only thing I plan on doing right now is calling Leo's parole officer. I think I might finally be able to convince him that it's time to pay Leo a visit."

Beckett got off the phone with Ryan. Her heart was beating a little faster. Could this possibly be it, she thought. It was hard to believe. Leo being responsible for Castle's abduction was such a long shot. She knew that she had no proof yet, that Castle was in there, but the black SUV with tinted windows and Brian Calhoun and his criminal past? The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She took a deep breath…Okay, time to convince Leo's parole officer that he needs to get over here…..now.

He wasn't too thrilled when she got him on the phone, but Officer Stanton agreed to speak with Beckett again. She asked him if Leo had an approved visitors list? He said that, yes of course he did, but that there were only a few people on it, and other that the woman he hires to do his grocery shopping and errands, he has never seen anyone else at Leo's house. She asked if a man by the name of Brian Calhoun was one of the people on the visitors list. When he told her that no, Brian Calhoun was not an approved visiter, she proceeded to tell him everything she had discovered, the black SUV, Brian's criminal record and the fact that he was inside Leo's house at this very moment. She went on to say that she knew this information didn't confirm anything, with regard to Castle, but that she hoped it was enough to convince him that he needed to check in on Leo in person. Officer Stanton agreed that if, in fact, this Brian Calhoun was in Leo's house, that it was a violation of his house arrest and warranted a visit. He told Beckett that he would be at Leo's in about half an hour.

Beckett ended the call and sunk down a little more in her seat. The only thing she could do at the moment was wait, which was extremely hard for her, but necessary. She looked over at the house again. Was it actually possible that Castle was in there, she thought, and if so, was he alright. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of the past three days throughout every inch of her body. Other than a short lapse at the percent the night before, Beckett had been able to hold it together remarkable well, since she realized Castle might still be alive. However as time went on, it was getting more difficult and she knew that if this turned out to be nothing, she would have to start from square one again. She didn't want to think about that possibility at the moment, so she let her mind drift off to thoughts of Castle. She thought about the way his rumpled hair looks when he first wakes up in the morning and the way he smells after showering and shaving. She thought about the way he makes her laugh, like no one else ever has and what an amazing father and son he is. She thought about his strong arms and how they make her feel when he holds her close and the thousands of coffees he's brought her over the years. She thought about the way that he loves her. It felt to her, like he had been gone for months. She desperately needed to see him, hear him, touch him.

"Please." she said out loud, "Please let him come back to me….please."

She sat still for a moment. Then she opened her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and started to pull herself together, knowing that things were about to go down. Just as she turned her focus back to the task at hand, she heard a car approaching and saw that it was Ryan and Esposito. They passed her, turned around at the end of the block and pulled up behind her. She got out of her car and into the back seat of their car.

"Hey," said Esposito, " So…what exactly is the plan here?" he asked.

"Well…I was able to convince Leo's parole officer that he needed to get over here, so he is on his way. I think that one of you should accompany him into the house. Leo has never seen either of you…. so it might not raise any suspicion with him. With one of you there, you can keep an eye on how the conversation goes and you can get a gage on whether anything seems off."

"Alright, I'll go in." said Esposito

"Okay… so Ryan…. I think you should wait outside. I don't want to spook Leo by having too many cops enter his house at once. You can quickly run in if need be and I will stay out of site for the time being. If he does have Castle in there and he sees me, he will know that we're on to him and Castle could get hurt. If things seem suspicious….. I'll come in after Leo and his pal and have been neutralized." Beckett said.

"You got it." replied Ryan, "Here… let's all take one of these…. so we can be in contact." he added, as he handed a walkie-talkie to Beckett and to Esposito. They sat quietly for a minute as they waited for Officer Stanton to arrive, then Esposito said,

"So Beckett listen….you know I always support you…it's why I'm here now….It's just that… the black SUV and this Calhoun guy…..well, I just want you to be prepared if this all turns out to be a coincidence. I mean sure…. it seems like Leo might be up to something, but there is still a very good chance it has nothing to do with Castle."

"I know Espo." Beckett replied, "Trust me, I'm not being delusional…it's just that, I've learned over the years to trust my gut….my intuition. I think it's one of the things that make me an effective homicide detective. I know he might not be here…believe me…. I'm well aware of it." She paused for a moment then added, "I don't know though….I just have a feeling."

"Okay then." Esposito said "Well… I obviously hope your right."

"So do I." agreed Ryan.

A few minutes later Officer Stanton arrived, Beckett thanked him for arriving so quickly and introduced him to Esposito and Ryan. She then asked him if he would be alright with Esposito accompanying him into the house. He said that would be fine as long Esposito let him handle Leo, because as of now, the only thing they knew for sure, was that Leo has an unauthorized visitor in his house. They all agreed and Officer Stanton and Esposito made their way to the house. They approached the front door. Officer Stanton rang the bell. They waited a few seconds and when the door remained closed, they rang the bell again and Officer Stanton called out,

"Open the door Leo….it's Officer Stanton."

They waited a few more seconds and when nothing happened Officer Stanton yelled again,

Leo… open the door….now."

After a few more seconds the door slowly opened.

"Officer Stanton….hi….I must say I'm a little surprised to see you here today." said Leo. "I thought you would be by sometime next week?"

"Well….sometimes us parole officers like to make surprise visits." Officer Stanton said, then he paused for a moment, waiting for Leo to step aside and let them in. When he didn't, Officer Stanton added,

"You do know that you're going to have to let us in….right?"

"Oh Yea….Okay." Leo said nervously, as he backed up into the house and let Officer Stanton and Esposito enter.

Once inside, Officer Stanton took a look around and asked Leo,

"So tell me Leo…. is there someone else here right now?"

"What…..no…why….why would you think that there was anyone else here?" Leo asked, starting to panic a little.

"I received some information that you have an unapproved visitor here at the house." Officer Stanton replied.

"Well….I'm really not sure where you got your information….but the last person who was here was Mrs. Stevens. She went to the grocery store for me about four days ago." said Leo.

As this conversation was going on, Ryan stood on the sidewalk in front of the house. All of a sudden he saw the side door to the house open. He watched as Brian Calhoun stepped out of the door and very carefully closed it behind him, looking like he was trying to be as quiet as possible. He then turned around and started creeping toward the street.

Ryan pulled out his gun, pointed it at Brian and yelled,

"Hey…. NYPD…..stop right there."

Brian froze for a moment and then it looked like he was starting to reach behind him with one of his hands. Ryan started running towards him and yelled,

"Hands on you head….hands on your head now!"

For a second Brian looked like he might try to make a run for it, but then thought better of it and put his hands on his head.

"Down on the ground!" yelled Ryan, "Down on the ground and keep you hands behind your head."

Brian complied and Ryan bent down, putting one knee on his back and cuffed him. He got Brian to his feet, frisked him and found a gun tucked into the back of his jeans.

"This what you were reaching for?" He asked, showing him the gun "I'm going to guess you don't have a permit to carry this...huh?" Ryan added, as he got out his walkie.

"Esposito," he said over the walkie, "I just caught Calhoun trying to sneak out of the house and he had a forty-five on him."

"Copy that...why don't you bring him into the house." Esposito replied over the walkie.

Ryan led Brian into the house. Officer Stanton took a look at Brian and the forty-five Ryan was carrying, then turned to Leo and asked,

"So….Leo….do you care to change your story now?"

"Okay…Okay," said Leo scrambling, "Listen…Brian is just an old friend. He came back to town recently after being away for years. I didn't know he was going to stop by and I certainly had no idea that he was carrying a piece. I didn't tell you he was here…. because I knew he wasn't an approved visitor…but, I swear….that is all that's going on….really."

"Come sit down over here." Officer Stanton said to Leo, motioning to the couch, then he looked at Esposito and said,

"The house is yours if you want to search it."

"Search the house," yelled Leo, "Why….I don't understand, why you would need to do that? I already confessed to having an unauthorized visitor…what are you searching the house for?"

"These detectives here….they think you might be involved in something more serous than having an unauthorized visitor in you house…but….if your as innocent as you say….then they shouldn't find anything…right…so what are you so worried about?" asked Officer Stanton.

Leo put his head down and said nothing.

Ryan walked Brian over to the couch and made him sit next to Leo, then looked at Esposito and said,

"Why don't you search the house, while I keep an eye on Leo and his pal here."

Esposito got on his walkie, "Hey… Leo and Calhoun are covered… it's safe to enter now." he told Beckett.

"On my way." Beckett replied as she started running towards the house. She had seen what went down with Ryan and Calhoun and was about to lend a hand, when she saw that Ryan quickly had it under control. She assumed that if Esposito was calling for her, that Officer Stanton must have been convinced that Leo was indeed up to something suspicious and decided to detain him and let them investigate.

Beckett ran through the door, her heart was beating rapidly now. Leo looked up as she entered and locked eyes with her for a moment. The look of shock and disbelief that quickly spread across his face at the sight of her, told Beckett just about everything she needed to know.

"Where is he!?" she yelled at him. "Where is he…where are you holding him!?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Leo replied in a defeated voice and once again lowering his head.

"Castle!" she yelled as loud as she could "Castle are you here?" she glanced at Esposito and said, "let's search the place."

The house was very large with many rooms. Esposito ran upstairs and started searching at the top of the house, while Beckett started with the first floor. She moved from room to room, continuously screaming Castle's name, as she frantically searched.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Castle hadn't moved much since his last encounter with Leo, whatever strength he might have had earlier, had left his body and he slumped against the furnace with his eyes closed. He was trying to imagine what he would be doing right now if everything was as it should be and he wasn't living this horrific nightmare. He and Kate would be married, he thought, and they would be on their magical honeymoon. They would have likely slept in this morning and made love, at least once. Then eventually, they would have gotten out of bed and shared coffee and breakfast under the palm trees. After that they would have made their way down to the beautiful, white, sandy beach and frolicked in the warm, turquoise water, with nothing to do, but be with each other. He let the images of what might have been, fill his head and they momentarily masked some of the tortuous pain he was in. He could almost feel the warm breeze on his face and hear Kate calling his name, _Castle .__…__Castle_. He suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He could have sworn that he just heard Beckett calling his name, for real, and not just in his fantasy. He listened carefully and there it was again, _Castle. _

"Kate?" He said, unsure if he could trust what he was hearing, but then he heard it, yet again.

"Kate!" he yelled "Kate…I'm here….I'm here!" Due to his exhaustion and all the yelling he had done earlier, his voice had become very hoarse and he knew he wasn't projecting much sound. He tried to clear his throat and then called out again,

"Kate….Kate…..Beckett…I'm here…I'm down here!" He didn't think his voice was loud enough to be heard outside of the basement, but oh my god, that was definitely Beckett, he was sure of it. Somehow she had figured it all out. He couldn't believe it. She was here…she was actually here and it was only a matter of time before she found the basement. His eyes filled with tears again and he continued to try to call out to her the best that he could.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Castle had been right about his voice not carrying beyond the basement, but not hearing a response when she called his name, didn't deter Beckett in the least. If he was here, he could have a gag in his mouth or even worse, be unconscious, she thought. She tore through the first floor and eventually ended up in the kitchen. She saw two doors. One was a door to the outside, likely the side door that Brian Calhoun had used earlier. She ran to the second door and opened it. She found herself looking at a panty stocked with food items. She glanced around quickly and realized there was another door at the back of the pantry. She open it and saw a set of stairs leading to what she assumed was the basement. She ran down the stairs and much to her frustration, she found yet another door, except this door was locked and not just locked, it had a dead-bolt on it. Her heart was going a mile a minute now, a dead-bolt, she thought, on a basement door? There was no way she could kick down a door that had a dead-bolt on it, so she ran back up the stairs and into the living room.

"Where's the key!? she yelled at Leo.

When he didn't respond, she got right in his face and yelled,

"You tell me where the key to that door is right now...or so help me god…"

"Hold on a minute, detective" Officer Stanton said, interrupting her, "Exactly….what key are you looking for?" he asked.

Beckett looked over at Officer Stanton with a stern look and said as calmly as she could,

"There is a door at the bottom of a set of stairs….which I assume leads to the basement. I can't open that door… because there is a dead-bolt on it….a dead-bolt! You did say we could search the house… did you not? I would consider searching the basement to be of the utmost importance in a situation such as this."

Officer Stanton turned towards Leo and asked,

"Why is there a dead-bolt on your basement door Leo?"

"You would have to ask my aunt that." was Leo's reply.

"This is ridiculous!" screamed Beckett, "I want that key….now!"

Leo said nothing and Beckett looked like she was about a second away from pouncing on him.

At this point Ryan reached over, grabbed Leo by the back of his shirt and pulled him to his feet,

"Hey…you either tell us or show us, where that key is right now…do you understand?" Ryan demanded.

When Leo still made no move to comply.

Officer Stanton said,

"Leo Listen…they are going to search that basement one way or another. I happen to have a bolt cutter in the trunk of my car. Now I could go get it… or you could just tell them where the key is."

Leo closed his eyes, knowing that it was over and mumbled,

"It's in kitchen, in the drawer to the right of the fridge."

Beckett ran back to the kitchen. She found the drawer and opened it. It was filled with junk. She pulled it completely out and dumped its contents onto the floor. Her eyes desperately scanned the contents of the drawer and then she saw it, a key ring with two keys on it. One looked like it was the key to the dead-bolt and the other was a much smaller key. She grabbed the keys and ran back into the pantry. She descended the stairs in about four steps. Her hands were shaking as she slid the key into the dead-bolt lock and turned it. She pushed open the door, the room was dark and she couldn't see much.

"Castle!" she yelled once again and then she finally heard a hoarse voice call out.

"Kate!"

Beckett burst into to tears and went running towards where she had heard the voice. As she got closer, he came into view. She dove on top of him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck. Castle was crying as well, as he tried to hold her as tight as he could with one arm. For a few moments they didn't say anything, so overcome with emotion that all they could do was cry and hold each other. Finally, with her head still pressed against his neck, Beckett was able to form some words.

"I lost you…Castle….I lost you…..you were gone… but now you're here…you came back to me….you came back to me." she said between sobs.

Castle breathed her in, still in a state of disbelief,

"I can't believe you found me…..I can't believe you're really here….I just can't believe it." he repeated a few times.

Beckett finally lifted her head and pulled back a little, so she could look at him,

"Are you alright." she quickly asked, when she saw the condition of his face and head.

"I couldn't be better." he replied with a small smile, as his wet eyes looked deeply into hers.

She half laughed and half sobbed as she gently put her hands on either side of his face and said,

"God I love you….I love you so much."

"It can't be as much as I love you." Castle replied, as he reached for her face with his free hand and pulled her towards him until their lips met. It was a kiss full of relief, joy and happiness, but most of all it was a kiss filled with their love for each other. When they finally separated, they gently pressed their foreheads together, one of their non-verbal ways of saying I love you.

"How….how did you know?" Castle asked.

"I found it…..our marriage license….I found it." she replied, her head still touching his. She then pulled back slightly, so she could see his face.

"Up until that moment, I thought you were gone Castle…I can't even tell you how horrible it was…. but when I found our marriage license, I knew….I knew that you left it on purpose…. that you were sending me a message… and that you were not in your car when it went up in flames.

Castle smiled at her, another tear making its way down his cheek, and said,

"Our marriage saved me…..saved us….and were not even married yet."

She smiled back at him, raised her hand to his cheek and wiped away his tear, then said,

"We are married Castle…..we're married in all the ways that truly matter." She leaned in and kissed him again.

At some point during their reunion, Esposito had made his way to the basement. He saw them embracing and didn't want to interrupt.

"I'll be damned." he said to himself as a huge smile took over his face. He ran back upstairs to tell Ryan the amazing news and make sure, Leo and Brian Calhoun were properly read their rights before he personally escorted them to the backseat of his car.

"Come on," said Beckett as they separated from their kiss "Let's get you the hell out of this basement."

"You wouldn't happen to have a key for these." he half joked, as he motioned to the handcuffs.

Beckett stared at the cuffs. She had been so overwhelmed with emotions when she found him that she hadn't even realize he was cuffed.

The key ring she suddenly thought, wasn't there a smaller key on that ring as well? She got up and ran over to the basement door. She took the key out of the dead-bolt lock and ran back to Castle.

"I actually think I might have the key." she said with a smile, as she leaned over him and slid the smaller key into the handcuffs. They popped open and Castle was free. Beckett looked at Castle's wrist which was all cut up and swollen.

"We really need to get all your injuries looked at." she said, "especially that head wound." she added, as she examined it a little more closely.

"I'm fine….really." Said castle. "I could use some more water, a meal and about thirty hours of sleep, but otherwise… I'm good."

"Yea well….I just got you back and I'm not willing to take any chances." Beckett replied as she helped Castle to his feet. He was a little wobbly, but very anxious to leave the basement and Leo behind. As they were walking up the stairs, he asked Beckett in a very concerned voice,

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how are Alexis and my Mother doing?"

"Well…" said Beckett, "They were obviously completely devastated at first….. but, I have been filling them in on all the developments as they happened and they too, were hopeful that you would come back to them."

"We need to call them as soon as we get out of here." Castle replied.

"My phone is in my back pocket." Beckett said with a smile.

As they made their way out of Leo's house, Ryan and Esposito greeted Castle with big hugs. Castle thanked them for everything they did to help save him. Ryan told him that no thanks were necessary. They were a team and you always fight for your teammate. Esposito agreed and told him that Beckett was the hero of the day. He then smiled and told Castle that he should always remember to listen to Beckett, whenever she says she has a gut feeling about something. Beckett smiled at his last comment. They then told Castle and Beckett that they would handle the processing of Leo and Brian and said that Castle could give them a full statement, when he feeling up to it.

After Ryan and Esposito took off for the precinct, Alexis and Martha, who were still out in the Hampton's, received the best phone call of their lives and said they would be back in the city as soon as humanly possible. Beckett convinced Castle that he needed to get his injuries look at. He ended up having a minor concussion, but nothing too serious. All his injuries were cleaned and bandaged and he was told he could go home. After the hospital they made their way back to the loft. Martha and Alexis arrived a little later and lots of tears, hugs and happiness ensued. They all shared a much welcomed meal together and then an exhausted Castle and Beckett said goodnight and went into their bedroom. They crawled into bed, blissful sleep calling out to both of them. Beckett snuggled up close to Castle with her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her head and said in a sleepy voice,

"You should know….that if I wasn't so completely and utterly spent right now….I would be having my way with you."

Beckett smiled, snuggled in a little closer and said,

"It's alright Babe...we have the rest of our lives to have our way with each other."

"Well in that case…you should also know… that I plan on living for a very, very long time." said Castle.

"Me too." agreed Beckett with a little laugh. "Me too."

As they were drifting off to sleep, Beckett heard him whisper,

"I love you Kate."

"I love you too," she told him, "I love you with all of my heart."

And they lived happily ever after…..well, at least until the next catastrophe, that is.

After all…. this is Castle and Beckett we're talking about here.

The end.

_(Thank you so much for reading my first multi-chapter fic. I know I still have some growing to do as a writer, but I really enjoyed putting this one together. I hope you got a little enjoyment out of reading it! I am now eagerly awaiting September, when we get to see how the real 7x01 plays out. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!)_


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